On Government Finances and Debt

In Alberta Views this month, we have a debate column pair about government debt written by economist Trevor Tombe, and former PC finance minister Ted Morton.

There are a number of respects in which I find Morton's arguments are profoundly flawed, and I would like to take some time to address them in more depth than the relative brevity that the magazine format allows for.

Someone Take Ralph Off The Stage

Jeepers, but Ralph is just an embarrassment to both Alberta and Canada.

He's talking of his "commitment" to francophone culture in Alberta (Ralph's commitment to any form of culture that didn't involve fermenting something is suspect, IMO) and he says this:

The former premier told CBC News the award recognizes his commitment to French culture in Alberta, and shared this family memory: "My uncle was French. He had a son and a daughter.

"Their names were Romeo and Juliet — totally French — and they spoke French all the time and I was so mad at them for speaking French that I used to say, 'For God's sake, speak English.'"

Why do we insist on giving this overblown oaf a public platform upon which to show us his lack of tact?